


Distractions of the deadly Sort

by Warflower



Series: Cain´s modern murder mysteries [9]
Category: Cain Saga and Godchild
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Cain POV, Gen, M/M, Mention of Murder/Robbery/Child abuse/infidelity and Suicide, Murder Mystery, This story does not contain original characters, Uncle Neil tries, technically- I had to name a nameless canon-character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-27
Updated: 2017-05-27
Packaged: 2018-11-05 08:42:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,119
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11009919
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Warflower/pseuds/Warflower
Summary: It is said a holiday might help dealing with grief.A holiday in a cursed castle with mysterious relatives and an abandoned cottage in the woods, not so much.But Cain doesn´t want to deal with grief, anyway.





	Distractions of the deadly Sort

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry this took so long, the plot took some time to un-tangle. At least this is a long one, enjoy.

Cain wanted to scream. 

He was sat in the backseat of his uncle´s car and had been so for hours. With all four of them piled inside he could barely move, at least he wasn´t sat behind Riff, that would have reduced his pitifully tiny leg-space to nothing.

The hangover didn´t help. After little over a week of what his uncle called sulking and Riff referred to as refusing to cope with his friend´s death, Neil Hargreaves had bundled his family up for an impromptu vacation in the family´s castle in Cornwall. 

Any protests from Cain that he did not want to return there had fallen onto deaf ears, he needed a change of scenery, or so his uncle insisted, the peace and quiet of the castle-grounds would do him good, they weren´t going to stay in the building itself anyway. 

Cain, dreading to return to a place of years of abuse had done what any sensible person would do: He had sneaked out with Oscar, Percy and Emmeline and gotten properly drunk. 

A decision he regretted now. His pounding headache was steadily increasing, after hours in the cramped car the air had turned sticky, which didn´t help, at least they were almost there. 

-Is that it? – Merry asked as they pulled into the driveway. 

Technically, she should be attending school, but after personal conference with uncle Neil Miss Moran, her teacher had proven surprisingly accommodating. Cain wondered what connections his uncle had used to sway her, or if he had taken the less elegant shortcut of bribery.

-It is- Cain confirmed. What had once been a stately castle was now only a remnant, still undeniably old and beautiful, yet what once was inhabited space had since been mostly turned into a museum. 

Museum or not, the castle pulled its fair share of tourists, many of them couples, who wanted to marry in a castle, but others were ghost hunters, as the old Hargreaves´ castle was said to be among the most haunted buildings in all of England.

-We´re not staying in the castle, though- Cain smile was a sharp thing -We´re staying in that building over there. The castle has too many ghosts. – 

 

-Uncle, you are being unreasonable… - The argument was inevitable, Cain knew it, his uncle knew it, even Merry knew it, which was why she had gone to help Riff with the luggage. 

-No, Cain, in fact it is you who needs to consider reason. – Uncle Neil was nearing the end of his patience -This holiday is meant to help you step away from things, and that includes your overreliance on your servant, you will inhabit a room of your own, and that is my last word. – 

-As you insist on claiming this is for my sake, please consider my wellbeing for once- Cain would not be deterred -You know I tend to nightmares, whenever I´m sleeping alone. Letting Riff and I share a room would ameliorate that. – 

-It would also increase your codependency regarding him. Cain, you are almost eighteen, your degree of reliance on that man isn´t good for you. –

Cain rolled his eyes, -First of all, codependency describes a person´s excessive dependency of a partner who is either an addict or otherwise mentally unstable and self-destructive… - 

Uncle Neil grunted -Excessive dependency… - he muttered under his breath. 

-Second- Cain continued -I am, as you said, basically an adult and thereby capable of making my own choices… - 

He trailed off, standing in the doorway. 

There was a man inside the foyer talking to a maid, he was somewhere in his thirties, with dark blonde hair. He was definitely not a servant, his designer clothes attested to that. 

Cain cleared his throat. The stranger turned around.

-Ah Neil! – he exclaimed, overlooking Cain completely -Nice to see you again, it´s been a while, hasn´t it? – 

He glanced from his uncle to the stranger, his eyebrows scrounged up as he addressed his uncle. -Who is this? –

Only now did the man seem to notice Cain, he pulled himself up to appear more impressive. 

-Cain, this is your second cousin Angus- Uncle Neil introduced the man, cutting anything ´Angus´ might have said short. 

Angus stared. -Cain? – he asked -As in Cain, the son of… -

-Alexis, yes- Cain forced a smile. -And in his absence, the current head of the Hargreaves family, pleased to meet you- 

Suddenly the man seemed far from his earlier boisterous self. 

-I… I was just… - he stammered -I was on holiday in the family manor, just for a couple of weeks…- Cain eyed him skeptically -…to get away from things, you know…- 

He trailed off, chuckling awkwardly, Cain choose to remain silent. 

-So are we, - his uncle explained. After an uncomfortable moment of silence, he added -Quite a fortunate turn of events, that you are here-

-Fortunate? – Angus stammered 

-Indeed- uncle Neil pushed on -We can invite Katina and Leland, maybe Leonard and his family, make it a small gathering. What do you think Cain? – His uncle turned towards him -A little family gathering to take your mind of things? – 

A family gathering? Cain wasn´t impressed, he didn´t know any of them anyway. He shrugged nonetheless -Sure, why not? – If his uncle thought him cooperative he might prove more lenient on the Riff issue. 

His uncle smiled -Great, I will call Katina right after settling in. – 

 

´Settling in´ as his uncle called it did not improve Cain´s mood, as cousin Angus had taken the master bedroom, Cain and Neil ended up both occupying the guest wing, adjoining suites, in fact, so sneaking into Riffs bed at night was out of the question. 

-You can still invite Merry over- Riff tried to comfort him -Make it a sleepover, I doubt your uncle would complain about that. –

-I guess- Cain lay slumped on the bed, staring at the ceiling, while Riff unpacked his luggage -Will you be okay? I know this isn´t your favourite place in the world either- 

Riff smiled -Don´t worry, I´m fine. Just concentrate on yourself-, 

Cain nodded. After a moment, he chose to sit up.

-Riff, - he began -What do you know about that Angus guy? – 

-Your cousin, Angus? – 

-Yes- Cain confirmed -that guy-

-Well, - Riff thought for a moment -He´s your second cousin, the son of Neil´s younger brother if I´m not mistaken, his father had him painfully early. I can´t recall what he does for a living… - 

-Hmm… - Cain grunted -That isn´t much. Can you find out some more? – 

Riff seemed quietly amused, if Cain wanted to distract himself by investigating the mysterious cousin, who was he to refuse. 

-Certainly- he agreed -I will prepare some tea and check in with the staff, who knows what I hear in the kitchen. –

Cain smiled, yes, gossip, always a good first step. With some decent distraction, he just might survive the holiday. 

 

Another key to distraction was spending time with his sister. Merry had never seen the sea before, but since she had never seen a castle either (Buckingham Palace didn´t count, since it was a palace, not a castle) they explored the castle-grounds first. 

She was full of questions. 

-So basically, the castle was erected by a runaway murderer- Merry repeated, her expression deadpan -there were plague pits somewhere around here, a monk was assaulted but not killed, the black hellhound is completely made up and the last lord was poisoned by his wife after she swapped their cups, because he tried to poison her. Sounds like a nice place to inherit- 

Recounting cruelties that happened centuries ago was decidedly easier than contemplating those only five years past. 

-A nice place indeed- Cain agreed -And probably cursed. – 

-Why is it ours again? – Merry asked.

-Because- Cain explained -We are descended from some Lord´s younger sister, who married a Hargreaves, and sometime in the Victorian era a Hargreaves was named Earl. And since the castle stood empty at the time we got in, curse and all. –

Merry shrugged -At least it is pretty-

-Straight from a fairytale- Merry chose to ignore the obvious sarcasm. 

-The garden is beautiful- She insisted -You have to agree. –

-It is- Cain conceded. Eyeing the artful flower arrangements -Although we are not staying long enough to plant anything. – 

-You would only plant poisonous plants anyway- Merry took his hand and pulled him towards the woods. 

-Many poisonous plants are beautiful- Cain protested, turning his back on the castle to face the woods, somewhere in there, his father was buried.

-So, what? - Merry complained -What use are beautiful flowers if I can´t pick them? – 

Cain laughed -Yes, that would be a tragedy. – 

 

The in the soft February-light the woods were genuinely beautiful, Cain found himself enjoying their little stroll. 

He had never gone so far into the woods, had never been allowed to. Before long they came to the border of a clearing, an idyllic little cottage stood in the middle.

-Do you think someone lives here? – Merry asked, she was still holding onto Cain´s hand.

-I doubt it- Cain judged the houses state of disrepair, it was abandoned, yet for how long Cain didn´t know -It was probably built by some Lord hiding a mistress… or a lover. - he added. 

As an afterthought, he asked -Shall we go in? –

 

The last inhabitant was a mistress, and she had children. 

Cain eyed the children´s room, it seemed they left in a hurry as they had left most of their possessions behind.

There were three beds, neatly lined up, dolls and stuffed animals sitting on the covers, yet the covers themselves showed none of the prints common for small children, the books on the shelves too ranged from children´s books into young adult territory. 

But the children´s age was not what disquieted Cain, what was much more disturbing was how recent the books were, how modern the clothes in the wardrobe. 

This wasn´t the second family of some ancestor centuries back, this house was inhabited a decade ago, maybe less. 

-You would remember if you grew up here, wouldn´t you? – He asked Merry. 

She nodded -I´ve never been here before, and I was an only child before you- 

Cain reassuringly squeezed her hand, he said -I don´t think we are the only Hargreaves around. – 

 

Their moment of epiphany was rudely interrupted. 

-Hey, what are you doing here- Someone shouted.

They turned, a greying man in his late fifties stood in the doorway. 

-We are just having a look around- Cain tried to assure him.

His eyes narrowed, -You- he pointed his finger at Cain -I know you. – 

Before Cain could state that he would certainly hope so, as he was the unofficial head of the family the man went on.

-You are that boy from the village! You just wait until I call your mother, trespassing is illegal! – 

He strode over towards them and before Cain had the time to stutter out a surprised -…Trespassing? – he was grabbed by the ear and ungently dragged to the door, Merry followed.

Both Cain and Merry repeatedly tried to explain the situation, yet their complaints were swallowed by an impressive rant about the morally loose ´youth-of-today´. 

Thankfully they encountered uncle Neil in the foyer. 

He was quick to clear up the confusion and convince the steward, a Mr. Stein, that Cain was in fact Cain and a part of the family and not some trespassing boy from the village. For that Cain was grateful, his ear hurt from all the dragging, he was less grateful when his uncle congratulated the steward´s exemplary diligence and watchfulness. 

As if physically dragging random teenagers was in any form acceptable... Cain decided he didn´t like this Mr. Stein.

 

Apropos random teenagers, Cain thought as he was slipping in through the kitchen door and propping down on the kitchen counter next to Riff. If he had a bunch of secret half-siblings and there was a boy in the village that looked enough like him to confuse Mr. Stein, maybe the two were connected. He would have to go to the village later to find the boy in question.

But first, Riff. As Neil and Angus had already had their afternoon tea Riff quickly prepared some tea and leftover shortbread for Cain, all the while reading out a recipe for casserole, which a busty blonde maid followed to the letter. 

-Hey, - Cain addressed the maid, Riff paused in his reading -Do you know anything about the family that lived in the cottage in the woods? – 

-No- she replied, with her heavy French accent it almost sounded like ´non´, -Master Angus and Serena occasionally meet there, but I have only gone there once- she explained.

-Master Angus? – Cain questioned. That Angus called himself master of the house was news to him, he checked Riff´s expression, he didn´t seem surprised. 

-Oui, - She didn´t seem to notice Cain´s interest, absentmindedly she continued -It is so nice that his family has come to say ´Goodbye´, usually it´s just the four of us. – 

-The four of you is Master Angus, Mr. Stein, this Serena and yourself, right? – Cain asked. 

She nodded. -I am Shavonne, by the way. I´m sorry, my English is not the best- 

-Don´t worry- Cain assured her -My French is only just passable, too. –

She smiled. She really was a beautiful woman, short but curvy, in her early to mid-twenties, with fine blond hair and blue bedroom eyes. 

-So, Master Angus is planning to move? – Cain inquired.

-Oui- she confirmed -Serena and him will move to America-

-America? – Cain stiffened.

-They will be living with an uncle of his until he has purchased them a villa of their own- the way she told this it was very much old news -Everything has been arranged already. – 

Cain and Riff exchanged skeptical glances, either there was an uncle in America that Cain didn´t know about or everything had not been arranged already, as all attempts to contact Alexis were directed straight into Cain´s email account.

-Great for them- Cain faked a smile -I´ll take Merry to the beach while you two prepare dinner, alright? - 

-Sure- Shavonne smiled. Riff, too, nodded his assent, Cain pressed a kiss to his cheek before he left, just to make sure Shavonne didn´t get any ideas, behind him Riff started reading again. 

 

The beach of Praa Sands was abandoned, as was a good part of the village. Early February was many things, tourist season was not among them. 

Merry was transfixed by the water, she had never had a chance to see the ocean before and Cain was happy to share this moment with her. 

The cold wind tangled her hair as she dipped her fingers into the icy water. 

-Is this the Atlantic Ocean? – she asked. 

Cain laughed -Technically we are where the English Channel meets the Celtic sea, but that´s basically a part of the Atlantic, so yes, it is. – 

Merry beamed. -I´ve seen the Ocean- she whispered. 

They searched for seashells as the sun slowly began to set, they would have to return to the castle soon or they would be late for dinner. 

Merry spotted a dog on his evening walk and decided to pet it. Cain looked around in search of the owner, he had hoped to ask about his supposed double, but asking proved unnecessary. 

The owner was about his own age, maybe slightly taller, slightly more muscular with slightly shorter hair and slightly less pale skin, his eyes missed the treacherous golden specks his own eyes held, but otherwise Cain might have assumed he was facing a long-lost twin. 

-Hey- he said, at a loss for words.

Apparently, he wasn´t the only one, as his double replied in kind.

-I´m Cain- Cain said.

-Seth- replied the other. 

-I would have guessed Abel- Cain quipped lamely. 

Seth looked confused, it seemed he wasn´t too well acquainted with the bible. 

 

Seth had grown up here in Praa Sands, barely hundred meters away from the castle. He had never known his father; his mother had raised him alone. He had just turned seventeen, which made him about ten months younger than Cain, about Suzettes age his treacherous brain supplied. 

Unfortunately, he had never lived in the cottage in the woods. 

-But I remember it was inhabited when I was small. – 

-By whom? – Cain asked eagerly, 

-I don´t remember any names- Seth explained, -I was barely more than a toddler when they disappeared, but there was a woman with three teenagers, daughters I think, although I´m not certain with the youngest. –

-How old were they when they disappeared- Cain pressed -How old where you? –

Seth didn´t understand why this information was important to Cain, -They were teenagers, the youngest was thirteen, maybe fourteen, the oldest seventeen at most. I was maybe four, barely more than a toddler. -

As he didn´t seem to know more Cain desisted from questioning him further, making small talk instead. 

Soon Cain and Merry had to hurry back to the castle, Seth stayed behind on the beach, he was in no hurry to return home as his mother had left him alone for the week, attending a cousins wedding in Scotland. They had exchanged phone numbers, so they could meet up to talk more later that week.

 

Katina arrives the next morning after breakfast. Uncle Leonard had refused the invitation, citing trouble with his step-son as the reason, uncle Leland gave no reason at all.

Thanks to Merry Cain has slept better than expected; this does not mean he slept well. 

Avoiding thoughts about Cleo during the day had come back to haunt him in the night, and at two in the morning he was violently woken from a nightmare. He had scared Merry, so she had kicked him out of the bed to wake him. It worked, as did the hot chocolate they stole from the kitchen. 

Aunt Katina had come by car, the trip from Plymouth wasn´t that far. She was led into the sitting room by Riff under the glowering stares of Mr. Stein. 

It seemed the old steward held no small amount of pride about calling himself the head servant of the Earl of Hargreaves. A position which Cain had quickly pointed out belonged to Riff. He was the ´personal manservant´ of the technical head of house after all, and thereby more important than the elderly steward of a holiday residence.

Stein had not taken it well, he had insisted that he had served the Hargreaves family, including Alexis for over twenty years and therefor had seniority. 

This earned him no points with Cain, who remembered all too well, the apathy the castles servants had shown towards his obvious suffering. He may not remember Stein personally as he had drowned in the sea of uncaring faces, but this did little to endorse him. 

And if one added their uncomfortable encounter in the woods, it would surprise no-one that the dislike was mutual. 

Although she lived in Plymouth, aunt Katina, who was apparently an old friend of his uncle, was a woman of the world, she was intelligent, in her late forties and still fit, only the well-honed eye saw that roots of her fashionably done-up hair had begun to gray, her glasses and blazer were without a doubt expensive, but not as expensive as her heels, that had Cain questioning how she was able to drive. 

He probably just needed to practice wearing heels. 

-Katina. – He greeted as he hugged her. 

-Cain- she carefully looked him up and down -you have grown. – 

Cain laughed -I should hope so, it has been ten years- 

-It has, hasn´t it? I haven´t seen you since the funeral. – She looked over to Neil. -I tried to write you, set up meetings with Alexis, stay in contact, you know- There is pain in her eyes. 

She knows, Cain thinks, maybe not the truth but she knows her little sister didn´t take her life for nothing. Something went terribly wrong in the Hargreaves household. Of course, her sister didn´t take her life at all. 

Cain forces a smile -It doesn´t matter, have you met Merry? –

He quickly introduces Katina and Merry-Weather, it is safer than speaking about his step-mother. 

Merry gets bored after ten minutes of small-talk, so Katina turns back towards Cain. 

-You are certain, that she is Alexis´? – She asks.

-Yes, I am, you know perfectly well, that the conception of bastard children is not unlike my father- 

Katina smiles wryly -That I do- 

After all Katina´s sister had married Alexis the second it was certain that his mother was pregnant, bribed by a large bride gift she had to pretend that Cain was her own to conceal his actual parentage.

-Talking about bastard children, I think there are more-

This surprised his uncle and aunt both. 

-More? – Neil asked -How come? –

So, Cain told them about the cottage with the three daughters in the woods and Seth in the village. Both listened attentively; neither knew anything of the family in the woods, but they agreed to meet Seth and accept him into the family, if that was his wish. 

 

Aunt Katina had decided to take Merry out to do some ´girl-stuff´. In Merry´ s case that could mean anything from shopping shoes to visiting sketchy psychics, so Cain chose not to ask. Instead he used the unique opportunity to spend some quality time with Riff. 

Taking a tour around the museum was just a pretext. 

-Okay, but why tell Serena he has everything arranged? Nothing´s arranged- 

-Maybe there is an uncle on his mother´s side- Riff suggested. 

-I doubt it- two uncle´s in the United States? Or rather one uncle and a supposed uncle, unlikely. -He probably lied to his sweetheart. – 

Riff nodded -I completely agree, but why would he lie? – 

Cain bit back his frustration and refrained from kicking the nearest exhibit. -I don´t know- 

After a moment, he added -Does she even know that he´s broke? – 

-There´s no way to tell- Riff smiled, it didn´t reach his eyes -But we´ll figure it out. – 

-Yeah, I guess- Cain bumped his shoulder into Riff´s arm, he wanted a hug. 

-Did you know there´s a treasure hidden around here? – He asked.

Evidently, Riff did not know, -A treasure? – 

-Yep- Cain confirmed, -It´s hidden right here in the museum- 

-A secret passage? - asked Riff, Cain smirked, he had shown Riff some of the castles secret passages, back when they first met.

-It´s hardly a part of the exhibit- 

Riff didn´t deign Cain´s quip with any reply.

-You see how these thick walls make it hard to judge if a room is too small? – Riff nodded in confirmation.

-Well, - Cain stopped in front of a painting -these rooms- he pointed two doors on either side of them -are too small, not by much, about half a meter plus thinner walls each. – 

-Enough for a passage- Riff agreed.

Cain smiled -Indeed, and since most people assume, that when a room is shortened, the secret entrance is inside that shortened room, naturally, it is not-

Riff was so kind to state the obvious -It is here-

He looked at the painting, it showed some dead noble smoking a cigar in front of a flock of sheep. 

-I see no feasible way in which the mechanism is hidden in the painting- He judged.

Cain sighted, -I know, but wouldn´t that be cool, - 

Cain pressed the switch on the frame and it opened, revealing a safe. 

-The code is ´black sheep´- Riff entered the letters and pressed accept. The door swung open. 

-That is the treasure? – Riff asked. 

-It is- he confirmed -A baptismal font from the middle ages, finest marble, it belonged to the royal family once, as the lily-carvings indicate. I can´t remember which sculptor made it, but he was pretty famous. It´s easily worth millions- 

Riff smiled, -A treasure indeed, why did you show me this? –

Smart man, knowing Cain had a reason beyond impressing Riff, which would be a good reason in its own right.

-One, the whole Angus thing, plus the cottage in the woods it all gives me a bad feeling, so I want you to be as well-informed as possible. Two Stein knows this place, and since you´re of higher rank and more important to me, I think it´s only fair. – The ´and would piss him off´ was implicit.

Riff turned to face him -But the bad feeling is not only because of Angus and the family in the woods, is it? – 

The question was rhetorical, one look at Cain´s face answered it. 

-I´m trying not to think about it, about anything really. – 

-I noticed- 

-Do I get a hug? – Cain asked. -There´s nobody around…- 

There was a sound down the hallway, but strong arms wrapped around Cain as slumped into Riff´s chest, so he ignored it, this was more important. 

-Thanks, I needed that- he murmured into Riff´s shirt -Can you just… never let me go. – 

The answer was a kiss to the crown of his head. Yes, Riff knew that Cain was barely holding on, but honestly, who would? 

Cleo was barely two weeks dead, Orlando only one. And even if committing a murder was surprisingly easy, it did take its toll. Returning to the place of years of abuse, culminating in his first murder was about the worst thing for his mental health that his uncle could possibly come up with, even if he was well intentioned. 

-Tell me something positive- Cain´s demand was barely more than a whisper. 

-You took Merry to see the Ocean. – Riff suggested. 

Cain smiled -Anything else? – He craned back his head to look at Riff´s face. 

-We met here- 

-That is positive- Cain agreed, his eyes fell shut as Riff brought their foreheads together, -best thing in my life, actually- 

-I know- Riff was smiling, Cain couldn´t see it, but he knew. 

Finally, Cain opened his eyes, -You know what? It´s not so bad here- 

-No, it is not- Riff´s eyes were still soft, but he got it. Some things you had to talk better. 

-We could just stay here, you and I- Cain continued -We´ll send uncle back alone, then I´ll fire Stein and make you steward-

Riff chuckled -Sounds like a plan- 

Someone gasped, there were retreating footsteps, given their luck Stein had heard them. And he had not gotten the joke.

 

Right after Merry had safely gotten home from the amusement park with Katina, Cain had called Seth. 

They agreed to meet in the cottage after dinner, that meant half past eight if you counted the drawn out small-talk Neil favored as a part of ´dinner´, which Cain did. 

Cain was the first to arrive at the clearing. Well, that was not technically correct, he had arrived before Seth, but judging from the silhouettes outlined by the cottage´s lit windows Angus and Serena had arrived before him. 

Never passing up an opportunity to eavesdrop Cain sneaked closer until he was right next to the window. 

Through a slit in the curtains Cain regarded the couple, Angus back was facing him, so he couldn´t actually see his face, but he got a good look at Serena, she was older than Shavonne, but younger than Riff, hair auburn hair was mostly tied back save for the bangs that fell onto her forehead. 

If he was being honest, Cain thought, she seemed kind of mousy. Her expression of rapt attention as she listened to Angus only underlined that. 

-And don´t worry, I´ll bring a hand-truck- Angus said, just remember the password.

-Black sheep- Serena breathed. 

Fuck, Cain thought, so much for Angus being broke. A font worth millions would certainly be enough for a successful emigration, at least once he managed to sell it. 

-Good. – Angus confirmed -Let´s head back, before Shavonne misses you. –

Cain had to get away and he had to get away fast, on the clearing there was no concealment so there was no reason for stealth. Cain ran. 

-Hey- he heard Angus shout after him -Stop. – 

Cain didn´t stop, he made for the woods. 

-Fuck- cursed Angus, a beat of silence -I´m going to kill him. – 

As he reached the trees Cain glanced back, Angus had picked up a rock, Serena protested and made to stop him, but it was too late, Angus gave chase.

 

Cain ran, he darted through the woods as fast as he dared, several times he took sharp turns and changed randomly direction. 

After five minutes, he was fairly certain that he had lost Angus, but just to make sure he slipped into a hollow in the ground, where he remained for what he could only guess were about twenty minutes. He didn´t risk pulling out his phone, nothing would give him away as fast as the artificial light of the display. 

He waited and waited, yet there was no trace of Angus, only silence. It was too easy, Cain thought. 

Deciding not to look a gift horse in the mouth Cain made a wide berth around the clearing as he slowly returned to the castle gardens. 

Once he reached the edge of the woods he pulled out his phone and called Riff. 

 

Of course, Riff picked him up at once, leaving Shavonne to finish writing her shopping list alone. 

-Are you okay? – He asked Cain, as he lifted him into a bone-crushing hug. 

-I´m fine- Cain reassured him, -he didn´t get to me- 

He felt how Riff nodded against his shoulder. 

-I guess it would be safer if I avoided my cousin for the moment- Cain stated, eventually. 

-It probably would- agreed Riff, -At least until Angus is apprehended-

-But apprehended for what- Cain asked -He hasn´t done anything yet. – 

-Let´s just avoid him for tonight- Cain suggested -he´ll have calmed down tomorrow, then we can inform uncle Neil and confront him together. – 

-That sounds reasonable- Cain´s feet were lowered back to the ground. -But where will you stay? You can hardly return to your bedroom. –

-True- Cain thought about it -How about I call Seth and ask him if I can sleep over? We wanted to meet anyway. – 

As good as the idea was, it depended on Seth picking up the phone, which he failed to do. Cain harrumphed in frustration. -What now? – 

Cain knew exactly what now, and he hated even having to contemplate it. 

 

The furniture was just as they left it those five years ago, the Persian rugs were soft, the limestone walls cold, except for where old paintings of long dead Hargreaves and exotic landscapes broke up the monotony, dust was everywhere. 

Cain was painfully stiff as they moved through the dark, they would stay in Riff´s bedchamber, because going even near Cain´s old room was out of the question.

-You´re staying- It was a question, even if it was not phrased as such. 

Riff answered it nonetheless, he shook out the dusty covers, kicked off his shoes and settled onto the mattress, clothes and all. Once Cain had divested himself of his shoes he let himself be pulled over Riffs chest, he snuggled into Riff´s side, the man lying between himself and the door. 

This may be becoming a habit, Cain thought, but he wouldn´t want to break it tonight, or ever. 

He squeezed his eyes shut and prayed to a god he didn´t believe him to grant him a dreamless sleep.

 

The next morning Riff left to fetch breakfast, and gather information of how the Angus situation had played out. 

Twenty minutes later he called Cain. 

-What is it? – Cain asked, he was sat on the bed, wrapped into the covers and watched the dust dance in the sunlight. 

-I don´t know how to say this. - Riff began -You were planning to meet the boy from the village last night, Seth, weren´t you? – 

-Yes? – Cain´s stomach dropped. 

-It seems… It seems he had a run-in with Angus, - Cain shakily exhaled, Seth was dead.  
-The police are here. – Riff continued -They think you are dead– 

-Did they arrest Angus? - He asked, rolling himself out of bed. 

-No, - Riff sounded pained -It seems I am the prime suspect. – 

It was laughable, Riff? A murderer, let alone his murderer? Only an idiot would believe it.

-Are you arrested? – Cain asked. 

-Not yet but I will be, it seems I robbed the museum as several artefacts went missing at a time were Angus and Serena have an alibi. – 

Cain hurried towards the stairs and then down, into the museum. He needed to check on the baptismal font. 

-Ask them to question you in private- Cain demanded -You could suggest the flat over the museum, I heard it´s abandoned -. 

Riff´s chuckle was strained I will. 

The font was missing, just as Cain expected. 

He really should have considered this, after he had overheard the plan to steal the font the previous night, Cain had assumed there was no way Angus and Serena would still risk the theft, but then again, he had assumed they knew he had escaped. 

If they had mistaken Seth for himself, there was no witness to tell on their little plan. 

Hopefully the police would bring Riff up into the old apartment, Cain had question to answer, some assumptions to set right, and he did love a dramatic entrance.

 

As quickly as he could Cain hurried back upstairs, he shook slightly as he slipped into his father´s study but pulled himself together, he had time for PTSD later, Riff needed him now. 

He settled onto the windowsill and pulled his legs up to fully disappear behind the curtain. This, he told himself, would be fun. 

Before long Riff was lead in, clearly visible through a slit in the curtain, those, Cain mused, really did prove useful lately, he was flanked by two police officers, but at least he wasn´t handcuffed. 

The officers settled behind Alexis old desk and arranged their files, then the questioning began. Naturally, Cain listened intently. 

According to the police Cain Hargreaves had been killed in the herb garden between the country house and the woods, it had happened around nine o´clock the previous night. 

Around the same time a Riffael Raffit, had said his goodbyes from one, now deeply shaken Shavonne with whom he had been working in the kitchen, he was then seen by his employer, Neil Hargreaves, while he was leaving the building, heading towards the garden. 

Or the woods that lay behind it, Cain mentally supplied. 

He patiently waited in the garden, until Cain Hargreaves, technical head of the Hargreaves household and lover of Riffael appeared. He then proceeded to beat the boy to death with a stone, here the officer, a stout, red-faced man paused to inspect Riffs rather impressive height, which wasn´t difficult given the accused´s physique. 

After the murder, he had wiped the murder weapon clear of fingerprints, destroyed the boy cell phone and half-heartedly tried to hide the body. Then he and gone to rob the museum, which had still been fully stocked, when Miss Merry-Weather Hargreaves and her aunt visited it after dinner. 

He disappeared for the rest of the night, undoubtedly preparing his escape, at no point after nine pm did he have an alibi.

The perpetrator had returned to the crime scene the in the following morning, but by then the police had found the corpse, which was identified as Cain Hargreaves by his grief-stricken uncle, the loot and the letters which supplied the motive too were found, and in the perpetrators bedroom, no less. 

Cain assumed this was the first time the poor officers had to deal with a murder, as people experienced in homicide would hopefully not be competing with Burgess for the dubious honour of being the most incompetent police officer, ever. 

At least they had not brought Riff previous records into this, then again, they probably hadn´t found them yet. 

 

The moment seemed as good as any, so Cain began to chuckle. The police´s reaction pleased him, both officers flinched, they had clearly had no idea that they weren´t alone. Riff only made a mildly exasperated face.

Cain rose and threw back the curtain. 

-Good morning officers- he greeted, his smile saccharine. -If I may assist you in solving this murder-

Both officers were staring, at a loss for words, the only thing missing would be if one of them asked whether he was a ghost. 

-I am Cain Hargreaves, by the way- he introduced himself, -if you somehow managed to miss that. – 

He did not wait for them to gather their bearings. 

-As I have most of this mess figured out, please, do me the favour, what motive did the letters suggest- he pulled himself onto the desk between the two officers, he didn´t particularly care if he sat on the file, it didn´t contain any facts anyway.

The younger of the officers, Cain assumed he was just out of probation, pulled some letters out of his jacket. 

Cain studied the letters carefully, then he laughed. 

And laughed, were he in any form prone to tears he might have cried for laughter, as it was he was gasping for breath.

-…Love letters? – He couldn´t believe it -Love letters from Shavonne? – 

-Not only from Miss Shavonne- the young constable supplied – This one was addressed to her. – 

Cain gripped the letter that was supposedly written from Riff to his sweetheart and made to read it. 

If there was any doubt, just who had helped Angus and Serena before, there was certainly none now. 

The letter, written in an actually halfway decent imitation of Riff´s hand swore Shavonne his love and undying devotion, and promised a chance to run away, once Riff had taken care of ´that child´. 

Cain snarled, Stein.

-Okay- Cain addressed the officers -Two things. Actually, just one thing, seeing as the other is none of your business: You do know that Shavonne is dyslexic, don´t you. – 

The officers exchange a surprised look, evidently, they had not known. 

Cain continued -These letters were probably written by Mr. Stein, the Stuart, Serena would know about the dyslexia and Stein holds a childish grudge against both my person and Riff, he might also think that I intent to fire him, an unfortunate misunderstanding. 

Talking about Riff, he has an alibi, - explained Cain, keeping his voice matter of fact -me. 

I called him last night around nine, once I was sure that I escaped Angus, who by the way planned to beat me to death with a rock. –

The red-faced officer, Cain hoped for the sake of the police force that he wasn´t a DI found his voice. -If you escaped, may I ask- he stammered -Who is the corpse? –

-Who is the corpse? – Cain held on to his smirk -His name is Seth, he grew up in the village, a by-blow of my father, or at least that´s what I assume. Looks just like me, doesn´t he? His mother´s in Scotland for the week, you should probably inform her. – 

Don’t stop, don´t think, don´t feel. 

-Had dear Angus stopped to think, he might have noticed that he was beating the wrong teenager to death. – 

-You claim Angus is the murderer, yet he has an alibi form nine on. – The not-DI questioned. 

Cain rolled his eyes -Easy, Angus is fairly stupid, so he called Stein to help him depose of the body. Stein came up with the frame job. 

Angus carried the corpse to the garden while Stein faked the letters, then Stein prepared the ´crime scene´, robbed the museum and planted the evidence, while Angus and Serena spent the evening with Shavonne for an alibi. She is a kind girl, that Shavonne, but not the brightest, if Serena and Angus say they were together since nine o´clock she won´t contest this. – 

-I must admit- the Constable regarded Cain thoughtfully -That conspiracy theory of sounds plausible, but why? What were they trying to achieve? – 

Cain smirked as he regarded his shoes -I would check the cars of the suspects, one of them will probably contain a baptismal font made from white marble, it is worth several millions. If they haven´t fled, that is – 

The two officers exchanged panicked glances and basically ran out of the study. 

Riff, who had remained quiet for the duration of Cain´s little show regarded him carefully. 

-Are you okay? – Cain asked. 

-Yes, - replied Riff – If I were you I wouldn´t worry about me, - 

Cain quirked an eyebrow. -And why is that? – 

Riff shook his head, disparaging -You should really go and tell Merry that you aren´t dead, - 

-Shit- Cain cursed, he knew that he had forgotten something. 

 

Merry forgave him, eventually, and only after lots of complaining. Uncle Neil was slightly easier to appease, a development, which Cain suspected hailed mostly from his guilt over confusing Seth for Cain. 

The marble font was found in Serena´s car and the three conspirators were arrested. 

Since she had only aided and abetted, without actively murdering or robbing anybody Serena got of comparatively easy. At least when it came to her prison sentence, the murder of Seth, who was only an innocent bystander, and therefore collateral damage, hit her hard. Another blow was Angus fiancé Marianne, who arrived from America only days after the arrest, to try and bail out her husband-to-be. It seemed Angus had never plant on taking her along. 

As Shavonne was the country house´s only staff member that had not been arrested, she now filled the position of steward-by-proxy, at least until a more suitable replacement was found. 

Katina volunteered to move to Praa Sands for the time being, to aid Shavonne in her new duties, especially whenever reading was required. 

Uncle Neil had thankfully chosen to cut the holiday short.

And even if he regretted not to find out more about the family in the woods, honestly, Cain couldn´t wait to leave the cursed castle and return to London, to his own curses.


End file.
